Adkins - Pros and Cons

[Zana Badawi]

massive +1

Whilst we have been playing poorly and I dont think Adkins tactics are right for us, everyone is having a complete crisis over losing a few games. We were never going to challenge playoff's this year with our squad and we avoided administration which was an actual crisis
We have some players with a lot of potential but we are lacking in experience and depth so I always felt the best we could hope for was mid table
If we are deep in relegation shit by January then I may panic a bit more. Until then I am willing to let the situation play out for a few more games and hopefully get some of the injured players back

Another +1 here, but I disagree with your conclusion that we're having a crisis over losing a few games. The heat has turned up because of the attitudes displayed in this thread. What we have are fans who think NA is doing a mediocre job regardless of the ownership and fans who think NA is doing a mediocre job because of the ownership. What we don't have is fans who think NA is doing a good job. In short the fans that have been #adkinsout for quite some time smell blood because those fans that aren't #adkinsout have become unconvincing.

Only this week we have fans who don't know who own the club, fans who think its about league position (when a lot of the #adkinsout are the same fans who were #mcdermottin when Reading were saved from rock bottom by the awfulness of QPR). We also have fans who think the NA should be excused responsibility for coaching, for transfers (as they are so obviously SJM/AZ/whoever buys) and even on this PAGE, player confidence. The #adkinsin arguments are all over the place.

You combine that with our acceptance of a 3-0 turnover to Derby because "theyre quite good" and its quite clear why this place is a bit more intense at the moment. I never used to agree with AP a lot, but I knew pride was a big thing for him. Wish we could show a bit more pride than constantly defending mediocrity and demanding a bit more from the people paid to entertain us.

[Bob1871]

It was obvious last night that the players just didn't want to fight for the shirt, didn't want the ball & were playing out the game rather than trying to get back into it.

We used to be a team that would play with pace and width, at times direct but always looked like we could get something from any game. Adkins has turned us into a sideways team. I've lost count of how many times I've seen wingers drift inside and lose all of our width, this has to be a tactical instruction from the manager as he plays them on their weaker footed side.

Very strange selections and substations over the last few weeks, particularly last night taking Cox off.

I've had enough of watching it under Adkins, it's time to show him the door

[wingnut]

I'm quite surprised at how many people are rolling out the "we were always going to struggle this season" line and placidly accepting the dross on the pitch.

Professional athletes and coaches should be driven and committed to success, not sat about going "oh well, 14th place is better than it might have been".

People say we're weak on paper but a team like this:

Federici

Gunter - Pearce - Hector - Obita

Mackie - Norwood - Guthrie - Blackman

Murray - Cox

shouldn't be getting turned over every week. That's millions of pounds of transfer fees in there, players who have played in the Prem or been linked with a move there. On top of that you have internationals like Pogrebnyak and HRK who I've not even mentioned. Federici and Pearce have played in a title-winning defensive unit. Obita was POTS last time out. Murray has scored bundles of goals in this league. Sure we're missing a couple of decent players but that side ^^ or something close to it should be playing better than it is.

I haven't seen a jot of progress during Adkins tenure and there comes a point when the excuses have to stop and achievement has to begin. I'm not saying get rid of the guy now but if I was his boss i'd be asking some questions that's for sure.

PS when "he" took over this forum was awash with smug types saying "oh the more intelligent among us appreciate he will bring a superior brand of football to the limited style imposed by McDermott". Yeah well I hope you were there last night enjoying the superior way we pick the ball out of the back of the net every fcking week.

An absolute power post, right here.

Agreed with Zana, too.

[NessaFromEldorado]

I'm quite surprised at how many people are rolling out the "we were always going to struggle this season" line and placidly accepting the dross on the pitch.

Professional athletes and coaches should be driven and committed to success, not sat about going "oh well, 14th place is better than it might have been".

People say we're weak on paper but a team like this:

Federici

Gunter - Pearce - Hector - Obita

Mackie - Norwood - Guthrie - Blackman

Murray - Cox

shouldn't be getting turned over every week. That's millions of pounds of transfer fees in there, players who have played in the Prem or been linked with a move there. On top of that you have internationals like Pogrebnyak and HRK who I've not even mentioned. Federici and Pearce have played in a title-winning defensive unit. Obita was POTS last time out. Murray has scored bundles of goals in this league. Sure we're missing a couple of decent players but that side ^^ or something close to it should be playing better than it is.

I haven't seen a jot of progress during Adkins tenure and there comes a point when the excuses have to stop and achievement has to begin. I'm not saying get rid of the guy now but if I was his boss i'd be asking some questions that's for sure.

PS when "he" took over this forum was awash with smug types saying "oh the more intelligent among us appreciate he will bring a superior brand of football to the limited style imposed by McDermott". Yeah well I hope you were there last night enjoying the superior way we pick the ball out of the back of the net every fcking week.

An absolute power post, right here.

Agreed with Zana, too.

I agree with wingnut agreeing with Maguire and Zana Badawi.

[Silver Fox]

I concur, Mags' post is pretty much what I'd write if I could be bothered

[under the tin]

[quote="wingnut"] but what we're seeing week in and week out is the defence acting like they've never played together.

I'm not picking on you, mate, but statements like this typify the pervading Anti Adkins groundswell.
It's where the knees start jerking.
These are basically the same group of players who were sitting in 6th place on Sept. 16th.

As Ian Botham once put it: Form is temporary, class is permanent.
That's why our second adventure in the Prem was so different from our first.

The end of the season will be the true barometer of how the team have performed under this manager

[wingnut]

No knee-jerk from me m8; I thought there was more than a touch of emperor's new clothes about him from the end of August last season.

[Ian Royal]

Anyone who thinks Adkins is going imminently is almost certainly deluding themselves.

Managers simply don't get sacked under these circumstances, particularly at Reading, until at least a few home games after they've lost the fans. The last home game there was still lots of vocal support for Adkins and I'm pretty sure I heard some over the radio against Bournemouth, at least early on.

The boos need to ring out along with Adkins out chants before it's going to happen. If we lose against Blackpool I wouldn't be surprised for it to start. But I just don't see any realistic chance of him going anywhere before, at least, Charlton on 8 November. And probably more likely Bolton on 6 December.

The really frustrating thing is that we simply aren't playing that badly. We're defending reasonably well most of the time, keeping possession and creating chances. The problem is that we aren't taking the chances and whilst the defence is solid most the time, it's terrifyingly porous several times each game and we're getting punished most times it is, because it's so bad when its bad.

It really isn't going to take much for us to go on a good run and get good results. Some defensive concentration and playing to ability there would help. As would a midfield. As would Murray, in particular, taking the chances he's getting or Pog putting in a performance.

[P!ssed Off]

I don't like the guy and think he's pretty oxf*rd useless.
Didn't call for his head after a shoddy performance against Brentford meant it was 5 games without a win.

Think the target I set Adkins in my mind: 'Pick up a win in the next three games or oxf*rd off' was a fairly reasonable target.

Well he's lost the first two of these three games 3-0.
If we can't beat bottom of the table Blackpool on Saturday I will happily call for his head, and I can't see how anyone could say that's unreasonable.

[P!ssed Off]

Anyone who thinks Adkins is going imminently is almost certainly deluding themselves.

Managers simply don't get sacked under these circumstances, particularly at Reading, until at least a few home games after they've lost the fans. The last home game there was still lots of vocal support for Adkins and I'm pretty sure I heard some over the radio against Bournemouth, at least early on.

The boos need to ring out along with Adkins out chants before it's going to happen. If we lose against Blackpool I wouldn't be surprised for it to start. But I just don't see any realistic chance of him going anywhere before, at least, Charlton on 8 November. And probably more likely Bolton on 6 December.

The really frustrating thing is that we simply aren't playing that badly. We're defending reasonably well most of the time, keeping possession and creating chances. The problem is that we aren't taking the chances and whilst the defence is solid most the time, it's terrifyingly porous several times each game and we're getting punished most times it is, because it's so bad when its bad.

It really isn't going to take much for us to go on a good run and get good results. Some defensive concentration and playing to ability there would help. As would a midfield. As would Murray, in particular, taking the chances he's getting or Pog putting in a performance.

The Bournemouth display was terrible.
That some people said we were respectable in the 1st half is a testament to how shit we've been in recent months.
It really was one of the most useless performances in years.

[tidus_mi2]

Blackpool at home is as close to a banker as you'll get in the Championship this season so Adkins will lose a lot of support if we don't win on Saturday.

[Ian Royal]

May well have been, but it's not representative of how we played against either Derby or Wolves.

Bournemouth may have been dire first half for us to, apparently, largely match them. The thing that frustrates me is that we go up their end, miss a chance and immediately concede a sloppy goal within a few minutes of the second half starting. Get another chance, fluff it and immediately concede a quick second. Give up, and then concede another sloppy third.

Unlike last season when things weren't going well and the whole team looked confused and out of sorts, this season it's looked to me like it's a case that the team is actually better set up but just making calamitous mistakes on a regular basis. And I'm convinced the injury problems prevented us getting in the play offs at the end of last season and are a major part of our problems this season.

[genome]

Blackpool at home is as close to a banker as you'll get in the Championship this season so Adkins will lose a lot of support if we don't win on Saturday.

I remember people saying that about the Yeovil game, and we couldn't even beat them. And they had 5 men on the pitch.

[seanboyd_2]

We need to back Adkins and not be speculating about new managers, I personally do not believe he should be sacked and frankly he has shown the patience of a saint to stay with us after ALL of our failed promises to him.

He has not had the chance to BUILD a team and is desperately trying to squeeze the last bit he can from our current squad, put yourself in his shoes...

Just because you played Football manager does make you a seasoned vet.

Hopefully he will get another shot in the Jan transfer window, anyway I look forward to the response from the Adkins out parade.

[floyd__streete]

No wins in 7. 3 goals shipped in 4 of the last 5 games. Any manager would be facing the sack if that kind of form stretched much longer. Adkins is no different.

[sandman]

Think most would be patient if they were on the sort of money he is on. If we had been unable to pay him he would have been off like a shot.

[Martin41]

What do you class as backing him?? I'm not chanting his name, never will. However no matter what I will never boo, again never have.
I just want some fight and passion from the team.
If he succeeds fair enough, but a defeat this weekend and hes hanging by a thread, more and more will turn.
Also this he could have walked nonsense people keep going on about, I would imagine he is on a contract which means he loses a lot of money if he does, and let's not pretend money does not come into things.

[quickwingerswife]

Adkins Out. Robotic football, not the sweet passing game it said on the box.

[Eaststandman]

We need to back Adkins and not be speculating about new managers, I personally do not believe he should be sacked and frankly he has shown the patience of a saint to stay with us after ALL of our failed promises to him.

He has not had the chance to BUILD a team and is desperately trying to squeeze the last bit he can from our current squad, put yourself in his shoes...

Just because you played Football manager does make you a seasoned vet.

Hopefully he will get another shot in the Jan transfer window, anyway I look forward to the response from the Adkins out parade.

Really not sure you are making a very strong case for NA, Royalblue types may agree with you, but the argument weighed against the results facts is just not substantial enough to convince the waverers! RFC fans are generally very, very patience/apathetic in equal measure and when they begin to turn on a manager it is usually with some justification!

[wingnut]

FFS
Is there really a need for yet another thread discussing the same oxf*rd thing. OP is a serial offender on this topic, too.

Come on Platypuss do the decent thing.